Back-to-School Routine

Establishing a structured back-to-school routine is crucial for children with ADHD who face executive functioning challenges. By implementing strategies that address these challenges head-on, parents and educators can help create an environment that supports these students' academic success and overall well-being.

It is important to recognize that executive functioning challenges can impact various aspects of a child's life, including organization, time management, and task completion. Therefore, a well-designed back-to-school routine should provide clear expectations, promote consistency, and support essential skills development.

This section will explore effective strategies and practical tips to establish a back-to-school routine tailored specifically for ADHD children. By incorporating these techniques into their daily lives, parents and educators can empower these students to thrive academically while also fostering their independence and self-confidence.

1.  Planning/Organizing: Download and print out a monthly visual calendar like this one. Together with your child, plan out the weekly appointments. You can do this as a weekly or monthly activity. Use gel pens to colour code each appointment; for example, yellow for dentist, blue for after-school activities, pink for movie night, etc. Follow this format each week to build consistency and structure around planning and organizing.

2.  Fostering Intrinsic Motivation: At the end of each week, document your child’s weekly wins and accomplishments by writing them down in bullet points on a whiteboard. A whiteboard costs $2 at a dollar store.

3.  Scheduling connection time with family: Spending intentional time together is harder as our schedules get busy. Set aside 60 minutes on a weekend to do a device-free family activity together. Building a connection with your ADHD child nurtures emotional well-being and trust and builds parent-child relationship. Examples include– baking, hiking, reading, playing board games, making a pizza together, etc. Make this a priority!

4.  Teaching Responsibilities /House Chores: Post a checklist of assigned chores, tasks, and duties to each child. Attach the checklist to the refrigerator as a nag-free reminder.

5.  Extracurricular Activities: Overscheduling leads to burnout in children (not just adults), especially in kids with EF challenges. Instead, prioritize their rest time, let them unwind and do nothing after school one day a week. Prioritize a do-nothing day in your kid's schedule!

6.  Maximizing Sleep Time: Teach your children the value of mental reset through sound sleep. Make a no-device principle/policy mandatory after 8 p.m. Dim the lights for maximum melatonin release in the body. Prioritize an early sleep time schedule. Sleep improves memory, focus and information retention!

Parenting is hard! Whether your child has ADHD or not, having a schedule is an early foundation for learning effective and new habits.